The BOSTx.RTM. breeding program which produced the novel plant invention described herein and named "Bost Hybrid No. 4" extended over a period of some 10 years. "Bost Hybrid No. 4" originated as a seedling selected from progeny of cross pollination between (1) a breeding line derived from crossing the commercially available H. moscheutos.times.`Southern Belle` and H. laevis BOSTx.RTM. selection `Houston-White`; (2) a breeding line derived from crossing H. laevis BOSTx.RTM. selection `Houston-White` and H. coccineus; and, (3) a breeding line derived from crossing H. coccineus and H. moscheutos.times.`Southern Bell`.
Unfortunately, the original tag documenting the pod and pollen parents of the seedling was unreadable a the time the plant was evaluated and selected. "Bost Hybrid No. 4" clearly shows characteristics of at least two of the three original parent (P1) genomes used to establish this breeding program.
The objective of the breeding program which produced the novel plant of this invention was primarily to develop a plant that was suitable for inclusion in a horticultural group to be marketed as the `Razberri Series` of BOSTx.RTM. horticultural hybrids (featuring flowers of raspberry-colored petals with different shapes and sizes of bloom and different growth habits) and having the following characteristics:
(a) Medium size plant suitable for cultivation with good form and reliably upright habit. PA0 (b) Decorative foliage of a pleasing shade of green. PA0 (c) Attractic, well-formed, large rasberry-red-flowers that are distinctive for the color and form, that are well-posed on the plant and that remain open for most of the day (two days in cooler weather).